Chargers walk a fine line

Philip Rivers spent about 15 minutes at a lectern in front of a room full of media on Saturday night.

Not one question about his decision and throw on an interception in the end zone.

“I thought it was hilarious,” Rivers said. “If we lose that game, I'm talking about that for 10 minutes.”

Why was the interception deemed unimportant? Because the Chargers beat Indianapolis in overtime.

For the fifth straight game, they won. For the second time in four weeks, they won a close game. For just the third time this season, two in the past month, they won a game where enough things went wrong that they easily could have lost.

The question most often asked these days as the Chargers prepare for Sunday's divisional playoff game in Pittsburgh is, “What is so different about the Chargers.” The answer: Not a whole lot.

“There is a fine line,” Rivers said.

The difference for the Chargers now is miniscule and multifaceted.

They are making a handful more plays each game and getting some good fortune.

“I think it's everything,” safety Eric Weddle said.

Weddle dropped an interception at the end of Saturday's second half. Where that may have come back to haunt the Chargers early in the year, it didn't Saturday because the Chargers broke up two passes and time ran out on the Colts.

“When that went through my hands I was like, 'Man, that could have been at least three (points) or maybe seven,' ” Weddle said. “Those are little things you hope you can make up for, or that it won't hurt you.”

Would-be interceptions off the hands of Antonio Cromartie and Steve Gregory in the second half also were just footnotes because stops were made on those drives and, ultimately, because Tim Dobbins sacked Peyton Manning in the fourth quarter.

Darren Sproles' fumble at the 2-yard line in the third quarter didn't matter in the end because he scored on a 22-yard run in overtime.

Or maybe it didn't matter because Mike Scifres had four punts land inside the 10. Or maybe it was because Indianapolis committed penalties on back-to-back plays that gave the Chargers two first downs and 20 yards on the game-winning drive. Or maybe it was Antoine Cason's ankle tackle of Anthony Gonzalez after a 5-yard gain on third-and-6 in the second quarter.

Whatever it was – and it was all those and more – the Chargers found a way to win.

“Before we were losing those,” safety Eric Weddle said.

Yes, they were.

The Chargers had eight losses this year, but not by much.

Their 4.25-point average margin of defeat was lowest in the league. They lost two games when their opponent scored as time expired, another with 11 seconds remaining and another with 24 seconds remaining.

In each of those games, one play might have made a loss a win.

And, as Ed Hochuli showed, it isn't always something a team does that helps decide a game. For as poorly as they played this season, the Chargers had some strange calls go against them this year – a phantom pass interference call in Miami and a lopsided flag total against New Orleans come to mind, as does a non-call on an apparent hold of Luis Castillo on Carolina's game-winning touchdown pass.